Improvements on the Horizon for Livingston Gifted and Talented Program

By CAROLYN S. MOSES

June 25, 2018 at 2:53 AM

By CAROLYN S. MOSES

June 25, 2018 at 2:53 AM

LIVINGSTON, NJ – Dr. Dorian Gemellaro, K-6 Science Supervisor for Livingston Public Schools (LPS), recently announced the district’s well-researched plans for a multi-year rollout of an enhanced Gifted and Talented (GT) program, which will go into effect for K-5 students this coming school year.

Gemellaro has devoted this past year to a fact-finding mission that included visiting classrooms, observing GT teachers and speaking with those helming and involved in GT programs in many other districts.

Giving attendees a primer on the history of gifted education at last week’s Livingston Board of Education (LBOE) meeting, Gemellaro reported that GT education dates back to 1905 and has waned, waxed and morphed over time. At certain periods, it has been a component inside regular classrooms and, at others, students have been pulled out of their classrooms to benefit from advanced educational instruction, she said.

In 1990, Joseph Renzulli published a three-ring enrichment model, which represents the amalgamation of above-average ability, creativity and task commitment. The Renzulli model points the way toward which students should qualify for GT programming and is the model that’s currently used in the LPS district, according to Gemellaro.

However, Gemellaro said the current trend suggests that a different model might be better suited to today’s GT learners. This new trend favors differentiated classrooms where GT and non-GT students remain together and receive instruction tailored to their needs in each subject being taught. This model eliminates the issues associated with labeling a child gifted or, by default, “ungifted.”

“This is a radical approach,” said Gemellaro. “This would say to students, ‘This is a regular classroom but we’re differentiating at all different levels’. But we’re not there yet.”

Gemellaro added that although there are no plans for LPS to eliminate the GT classroom, as it provides its own unique benefits to gifted students, she is making strides that would move the district closer to this current approach by introducing what’s known as “compacted curriculum” into the regular classrooms. Compacting curriculum aims to help keep gifted students learning at their appropriate levels throughout their day without always segregating them to accomplish that goal, she explained.

Using fractional math as an example, Gemellaro said that in a compacted curriculum scenario, a student adept at adding fractions would skip to either the next grade-level standard or the next standard for fractions, such as multiplying fractions, within a differentiated group of similar learners within their normal classroom.

“I think this would make things better for our GT learners because now they’d be challenged in their classroom as well as in their small groups,” she said. “This would give a wider reach to the GT program in general.”

Although the National Association for Gifted Children says that students who approach learning significantly above the norm for their age group are considered gifted, there is no state-sanctioned criteria for determining which students should be classified as gifted. Each district is largely left to its own devices when making these determinations, according to Gemellaro.

The only state requirements are that a district has a GT program in place and that it uses multiple measures to make their determinations, she said. These could include standardized test scores, IQ testing (an indicator most all GT programs rely upon), or parent and teacher recommendations. Beyond that, exactly how each school or district approaches the identification process will be wholly up to them, Gemellaro said.

“We would like to have GT teachers be more actively involved in the day-to-day operations,” said Gemellaro. “This would involve going into classrooms, differentiating the curriculum that exists, enriching and extending the curriculum, compacting the curriculum, using ability groupings within the classroom and monitoring those, providing modified assignments and having the GT teacher work with a group of students if they have a passion for a particular project or doing an independent project with the GT teacher who would conference with that student. This would be an extension of learning for students who are particularly motivated and who excel in a certain area.”

The schoolwide enrichment program, which offers a wider array of opportunities for gifted students who are not necessarily driven in a particular field of study to still get the benefit of advanced educational opportunities, would remain in place but be informed by the interests of current GT students.

Because the rollout is a monumental task, it will be undertaken in stages, beginning with next year’s K-5 classes. These classes will benefit from staff members who are currently being hired and are trained in curriculum compacting at all grade levels. The rollout would continue with sixth-graders in 2019-20 and seventh and eighth graders in 2020-21, Gemellaro said.

In phase two, once the GT teachers have worked with students in grades K-8 to introduce these concepts in the classroom, the district would turnkey the compacting model to classroom teachers. This will begin with K-5 students in 2021-22 sixth graders in 2022-23, and seventh and eighth-graders in 2023-24, so that all students will be impacted by the curriculum compacting, rather than only the GT students, according to Gemellaro.

Don’t miss important news in your town. Click HERE to subscribe for free, or follow us on Facebookand on Twitter at @LivingstonTAP.

LIVINGSTON, NJ — In the aftermath of Thursday night’s snowstorm, Livingston Interim Superintendent of Schools James O’Neill said that Thursday night was one of the most difficult he has had in more than 40 years of working in education. He provided the following statement about his experience:

“It was difficult because I always feel personally responsible for student safety and wellbeing. It ...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Livingston schools have since been closed for Friday, Nov. 16.

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Some students were still being held at Livingston schools after 7 p.m. on Thursday after snow quickly accumulated during rush hour, according to Livingston police, who are still working vigorously to help drivers navigate the snow and get home safely.

“Everybody’s safe, it’s just a matter of ...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Livingston schools have since been closed for Friday, Nov. 16.

WEST ORANGE , NJ — They raided the kitchen, turned the auditorium into a movie theater and played games in the gym—that’s how West Orange educators helped students stranded at the schools to weather the storm that paralyzed the region on Thursday night.

Photos from around the district showed smiling students with ice cream, grinning staffers who prepared food for the students and some kids ...

WEST ORANGE , NJ — They raided the kitchen, turned the auditorium into a movie theater and played ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ – With the annual Great American Smokeout coming up on Thursday, Nov. 15, the Livingston Health Department is encouraging residents to join in the country’s annual effort to quit smoking for 24 hours.

Despite a decrease in the number of people who currently smoke cigarettes, there are still about 40 million adults in the United States that smoke, accorging to the health ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ – With the annual Great American Smokeout coming up on Thursday, Nov. 15, the ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ — For its annual fall production coming up later this week, Livingston High School (LHS) will present “Midsummer/Jersey,” which puts a Jersey Shore twist on William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Tickets can be purchased online HERE or at the door for the three performances, which will be held in the LHS auditorium on Nov. 15, 16 and 17 at 6:30 ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ — For its annual fall production coming up later this week, Livingston High School ...

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Eighteen Livingston community members recently graduated from the Livingston Police Department’s first Citizens Police Academy—a free 10-week program designed to give participants an understanding of the inner workings of the police department and a working knowledge of what law enforcement entails.

HILLSIDE, NJ — Three levels of a local service organizations recently came together in an act of community service when the Livingston High School Key Club and the Heritage Middle School (HMS) Builders' Club took a joint field trip to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside along with members of their umbrella organization, the Livingston Kiwanis Club.

Although members of the Key ...

HILLSIDE, NJ — Three levels of a local service organizations recently came together in an act of ...

WEST ORANGE, NJ — More than $160,000 was raised at RWJBarnabas Health’s (RWJBH) second annual Running with the Devils 5K Run and Walk in support of RWJBH and the New Jersey Devils’ collective effort to build stronger communities by promoting healthy, active lifestyles and world-class healthcare.

Proceeds from the race, held at Essex County’s South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange, ...

WEST ORANGE, NJ — More than $160,000 was raised at RWJBarnabas Health’s (RWJBH) second annual ...

RIDGE, NJ — the Livingston High School Forensics Speech and Debate Team came away with nine awards, including the fourth place team sweepstakes trophy, from the second Newark CFL tournament for the season at Ridge High School on Saturday.

The following students won awards:

Jaina Jallow, First Place in Varsity Declamation

Bela Battu, First Place in JV Oral Interpretation

Neel Sahni and ...

RIDGE, NJ — the Livingston High School Forensics Speech and Debate Team came away with nine awards, ...